Kindred of the East Companion
Kindred of the East Companion is a sourcebook for Vampire: The Masquerade, that expands upon the prodigious lore found on the Kindred of the East Rulebook. Summary From the White Wolf catalog: :The Year of the Lotus :The Kuei-jin, the fiends of Asia, have come forth from the shadows at last, claiming their place among the undead and staking their domains with blood and terror. As the Cathayans spread insidiously throughout the world, conflict and death follow. At last, the vampires of the West confront an implacable foe from the East. The Kuei-jin are more than whispered terrors; they are harbingers of the vampires' Gehenna - an age for which they have prepared carefully. :Meets The Year of Reckoning :In the groundbreaking Kindred of the East, the silken veil was pulled aside to reveal the vampires of Asia. Now, the Kuei-jin are presented in greater detail, with new insights into their powers, societies and beliefs. The powers of Chinese ancients and the philosophies of Pacific Island Dharma-cults come into focus with the even stranger and more exotic side of Asian vampiric society. The Kindred of the East Companion, with updates that make Kindred of the East compatible with the newly revised Vampire, sets the stage for the coming storm as Cathayans invade the halls of Kindred power in the West. Introduction An overview of what will be found in the book, as well as some advice on how to use it. Chapter One: The Hundred Corpse Families Relates the history of the Kuei-jin's courts and the development of their structures, families and traditions. The courts did not spring full-formed from nothingness; they are the result of thousands of years of undead interaction. The twisting roads of history give insight into why the Kuei-jin organize along the lines that they use. Chapter Two: The Demon People Details many of the hidden vampires of the East. The Kuei-jin are not the only Chi-stealing unliving monsters in Asia. Game systems are included for these different sorts of vampires, as well as some clarifications of the Kuei-jin themselves. Chapter Three: Ten Thousand Terrors Looks at the powerful Disciplines of the elder Kuei-jin, as well as the lesser-known Disciplines from lost lore or areas on the outskirts of the Middle Kingdom. The Kuei-jin have far more versatility than most suspect, but the mastery of such powers often comes with a price. Beyond the bounds of "acceptable" society, Cathayans practice arts that are both spiritual and disturbing. Chapter Four: Wandering Directions Elaborates on the function of Direction in Kuei-jin society. More than just an astrological convention, a Direction has a profound impact upon the duties of a Kuei-jin and her expected place in the courts. While the young Running Monkeys of the modern age may flout the old "superstitions", the elders and magicians pay careful attention to the confluences of Direction. Chapter Five: The Breath of Gods Provides some detail on the religions common to Asia. Buddhism, Zen, Shinto and Hindu are all elaborated so that players unfamiliar with Eastern religious thought can discover the nuances of these powerful and widespread faiths. In addition, a look at the Asian relations to Islam and Christianity rounds out this theological treatise. Chapter Six: Gweilo Draws attention to the few Kin-jin who exist in the East. Cainites in Asia risk all of the wrong kinds of attention. Kuei-jin in the West are under similar pressures, and survival isn't easy in a land of foreign and hostile vampires. Appendix Rules of the Hungry Dead brings Kindred of the East into line with the new changes and updates in Vampire: The Masquerade Revised Edition. Game mechanics are updated and elaborated. Memorable Quotes (...) Characters (...) Terminology (...) Category:Kindred of the East books Category:1999 releases Category:Year of the Reckoning